


Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

by bookwyrrm



Category: Cats (1998), Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Little Red Riding Hood AU, i didn't want to tag them all but almost everyone is in here, the kitten squad also makes an appearance, you could read this as demebombastrap although i didn't think of it when writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24134185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwyrrm/pseuds/bookwyrrm
Summary: Victoria is just trying to find her brother and get to Grandmother's house with the help of a pretty forester, but there's a Wolf stalking the woods.
Relationships: Alonzo/Cassandra (Cats), Demeter/Munkustrap (Cats), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Rumpleteazer/Victoria (Cats)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

**Author's Note:**

> The archive warning is only there because there are a few fight scenes and a couple minor characters die on the page so I felt like I had to include it, but the rest of the fic really isn't that violent. Also, let me know if you would prefer for me to tag anything else! 
> 
> I'm still getting the hang of writing Victoria, so I hope she didn't feel too flat. If you enjoyed this fic, please leave a comment or kudos. Thanks for reading! :)

The wind came rushing through the forest and moved the tree branches eerily, so that it sounded like they were speaking. Victoria shivered and drew her bright cloak closer to her. Not for the first time, she wished she could have said no to this job. 

Balancing carefully on a fallen log, Victoria held her basket of goodies aloft as she crossed the stream. At least her boots were thick, with good traction, and kept her from slipping into the water. 

She got to the edge of the log and leaped down. 

Someone said, “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to stray from the path?” 

Victoria gasped and instinctively clutched her basket closer to her chest. There was a woman standing among the trees, watching her with a small smile. 

The strange woman took a step closer and continued, “There’s any number of animals out here who would love to sink their teeth into a pretty little thing like you.” 

Victoria didn’t appreciate being patronized. She lifted her chin and said, “Well, you’re out here too, aren’t you? Maybe they’d choose to eat you instead.” 

The woman’s rosebud mouth dropped open in surprise, then she smiled and bounded closer to Victoria. “I’m Rumpleteazer.” 

“Victoria.” 

They surveyed each other. Rumpleteazer was wearing forester’s clothes — sturdy boots like Victoria’s, pants with lots of pockets, and a tool belt which held a small dagger. She had a pert nose and curly hair that was cropped close to her head so as not to get caught among the trees. 

“Are you lost?” Rumpleteazer asked. “Do you need help finding your way back?” 

Victoria kept walking, steadily, calmly. She was determined not to let this woman distract her. “I’m not lost.” 

“Oh.” Rumpleteazer kept up with her. “Where are you going, then?” 

“I’m going to see my grandmother. She’s old and sick, and wanting for visitors.” 

“She lives in the woods?” 

Victoria nodded. 

“Huh. Usually the only people who live here are witches. Is your grandmother a witch?” 

Victoria spun around. “Why would you say that?” 

“Hey, I’m just making conversation.” 

“What are _you_ doing in the woods, then?” 

Rumpleteazer spread her hands widely. “I work here.” 

“You’ve got a lot of freckles for a forester.” 

“They’re tree freckles,” Rumpleteazer informed her. “They come from exposure to trees. Hey, I think I see one on you now!” 

She tapped Victoria’s nose with her finger, and Victoria laughed. 

“Well,” she said, giving in, “It might be kind of nice to have an escort for the trip.” 

Rumpleteazer bounced on her heels. “Yes! This is going to be fun, pretty Victoria. I know lots of walking songs, and stories to tell you. But first, can I have a bite of whatever’s in your basket? It smells delicious.” 

Victoria tossed her a blueberry scone. 

Talking with her mouth full, the other woman said, “This is really good. So, do you have any other family besides your grandmother?”

“Yes, I have an older brother.” Victoria frowned. She didn’t want to think about Mistoffelees right now. 

“What a surprise!” Rumpleteazer said, not seeming to notice her discomfort. “Me too! Although he’s only older by two minutes.” 

“Oh, you guys are twins?” 

“Yeah. We don’t have any kind of psychic powers, though. Although I _do_ know another set of twins who do.” 

“I have a question,” Victoria said, cutting off Rumpleteazer’s ramblings. “Have you heard of the Wolf?” 

“ _Oh_ ,” Rumpleteazer breathed. Her voice turned softer, darker, like the forest they were walking in. “I have indeed. What do you want to know?” 

The new, almost-reverent edge to Rumpleteazer’s voice made Victoria shiver. She asked, “Is there any truth to the rumors?” 

“That he exists? The Wolf is very real. I’ve seen him myself.” 

“Really?” 

“Oh, yes. He’s fierce, too. Very strong and ferocious when he needs to be.” 

“Is it true that he has a weakness for pretty young girls?” 

They stopped underneath a spruce tree. Its needles cast strange shadows on Rumpleteazer’s face. “That’s very true.” 

Abruptly, Victoria turned forward and began to walk again. “We should hurry if we want to get to my grandmother’s house before dark.” 

“Alright.” Rumpleteazer’s easy smile was back. “You don’t need to worry about the Wolf, though. As long as you’re with me, you’re protected.” 

Victoria smiled to herself. 

They reached the cottage in good time, just as Rumpleteazer was teaching Victoria the words to a filthy drinking song. 

“Thanks again for traveling with me,” Victoria said. “Truthfully. I’m glad to have made a friend.” 

Rumpleteazer was beautiful when she smiled. “Me too.” 

Victoria tossed Rumpleteazer another scone. “Take this, as my thanks.” 

“Maybe I’ll see you soon if you come to visit Granny again?” 

“I’d like that.” 

They waved at each other. Victoria let herself into the little cottage, calling, “Grandmother? Are you napping?” 

Grizabella came into the main room. “I’m not so old that you need to shout. Will you shut the door behind you, Victoria? You’re going to let the bugs in.” 

Victoria did as she requested. She opened her basket and laid the top layer of scones and muffins onto a napkin, then removed the second layer of weapons from their hiding place. 

Grizabella handed her a whetstone. “The Wolf show up?” 

Victoria began to sharpen one of the knives. “Nope.” 

“Hmph. Macavity won’t be happy about that.” 

Victoria sighed. “There’s always next time. I’ve got no doubt he’ll send me out here again.” 

“Maybe.” Grizabella laid a gentle hand on Victoria’s hair. She wasn’t her real grandmother, but she had ended up fulfilling that sort of role. “You staying for a couple of days?” 

Victoria smiled. “As long as you need me to, until I get my summons back.” 

“Oh, that’s nice. I’ll put the tea water on.” 

As the old woman puttered around the kitchen, humming to herself, Victoria looked out the window at the forest around them. She thought about the Wolf, and her mission given to her by the king, and she thought about the beautiful girl she had just met. The sharpening stone scraped against her knife. 

— 

As it turned out, Victoria had an encounter with the Wolf a little less than a month later, when she got a message demanding her presence at the palace. 

The distraction had been welcome. She always hated going to the palace, but she hated sitting in her empty apartment more, with nothing to do other than stare at all the places her brother wasn’t. There was his bed, where he didn’t sleep anymore. There was the stove, where he didn’t cook. There were his shoes, where he and Victoria had danced heavily on the living room floor until the old widower beneath them was banging on his ceiling with a broom to get them to stop. 

Macavity’s summons were an inconvenience, but if she was in the castle, at least she could beg him for news or hide around corners to try to hear anything about Mistoffelees. 

Victoria was lost in her own thoughts when the trolley cart suddenly ground to a halt. She peeked out of the windows, trying to see what was going on, but the sun was setting, so all Victoria could make out were the forest trees in the near distance. 

There was a loud grunt from one of the guards outside. Victoria craned her neck to look, but her attention was captured by a young man who had climbed up the steps and was now grinning at them. 

“Everyone freeze,” he said cheerfully. “This is a robbery.” 

Victoria’s blood pumped with excitement, so much so that she hardly noticed herself rising out of her seat. 

The robber was sporting an intricately-carved wooden mask. His eyes had a lively sparkle to them, and he was grinning at the trolley full of people behind the wolf’s snout on his mask. 

“Don’t worry, everyone, this will only be a short delay. We’re not here for your wallets, we’re here for the grain currently being transported underneath your feet. Miss, please sit down.” 

It took Victoria a second to realize he was talking to her. “Are you the Wolf?” 

“No, I’m the famed bandit the Rabbit.” He gestured at his mask. “What do you think?” 

“What do you have against rabbits?” 

He shrugged. “Well, nothing really. It just doesn’t sound as badass as the Wolf.” 

He was here. She was so close to him. She was going to complete the impossible mission Macavity had set for her. She was going to free her brother. 

Someone rapped sharply on the side of the trolley cart. “Wolf, we’re done here.” 

The Wolf had partners now? That was new. 

“You guys have been a great crowd,” the Wolf told the cart of people, “but my time’s up. Remember to tip your drivers… unless, of course, they’re unconscious… and long live the Usurper King!” 

“Wolf.” The other voice said again. “As much as I would hate to interrupt your comedy routine, I would also hate to still be here when the royal guard shows up.” 

Victoria risked a glance out of the window. The man talking to the Wolf was also wearing a mask. Some sort of feline? 

The Wolf hopped off of the wagon, and the bandits made their way towards the woods. Victoria leapt off of the cart and gave chase. 

The outlaws’ progress was slowed down by the fact that they were carrying sacks of grain. Victoria set her sights on the man wearing the wolf mask, who was bent over with the weight of his sack. She didn’t care about the rest of them. 

She was gaining on them. 

The man with the feline mask glanced back. This time, Victoria was close enough to see what animal he was. 

He said, “Wolf. Handle it.” 

The Wolf looked back as well, and then Victoria was bowled over from the side. 

She twisted to see who her attacker was, and gaped. It didn’t make sense! She had just seen the Wolf a few feet in front of her carrying a sack of grain, and now here he was tackling her to the ground. Was he some sort of a sorcerer or demon? 

Victoria tried to free her dagger from her belt, but the Wolf pinned her arm down to the ground. He really was incredibly fast. Victoria growled and wrapped her legs around the Wolf’s thighs so he couldn’t move and rolled them over. Now she had the upper hand again, but before she could do anything, a sharp whistle pierced through the air. 

Victoria glanced back at the forest where the sound had come from, and found that the rest of the party had disappeared into the woods. The Wolf took advantage of her distraction. Casually, he stood, dusted himself off, then blew Victoria a kiss and hightailed it after his friends. 

Victoria yelled one of the curse words Rumpleteazer had taught her after his back. She sighed, stood, and began the long trek to the castle. 

“What do you mean he got away?” Macavity yelled. 

Victoria stood her ground. The Usurper King was a bully who had the added threat of magical powers, but she wouldn’t let him see that he scared her. 

There were two women lounging by the king’s feet, drinking wine. Probably some noblewomen whose families had supported Macavity’s rise to the throne — Victoria could never remember all the members of the noble houses. The women watched her coolly. 

“I did my best, sire,” Victoria said. “But the Wolf has insanely good reflexes. And he wasn’t working alone.” 

Macavity frowned. “He wasn’t working alone? What do you mean?” 

“Well, that’s what I’m confused about as well.” She began to pace as she thought. “He has a reputation for being a lone outlaw, but there were maybe four or five other people with him this time. He could have hired goons to help him steal the grain, I suppose, but he didn’t seem to be the leader.” 

“Were they all wearing masks?” 

“Yes, sire. The only other one that I could identify was a mask in the design of a tiger.” 

One of Macavity’s women darted her eyes up to Victoria’s at the mention of the tiger. Her knuckles tightened on her wineglass until they were white. 

It was a tiny movement, but Macavity zero’ed in on it. Sounding curious and disappointed, Macavity said, “You know something.” 

The taller woman turned in alarm to look at her companion. 

“No,” the shorter woman protested. “I don’t!” 

Macavity got up from his throne. “See, the problem is that I don’t believe you.” 

Victoria looked away just as Macavity grabbed the guilty woman by the hair and tilted her head up to him. 

His tone was as calm as ever. “What are you hiding, Demeter?” 

She cried out in pain. 

Victoria was so eager not to look at the conflict going on in front of her, that her eyes landed on the taller woman just as she gave a slight nod. _Interesting._

“He wore it to a masquerade once!” The woman called Demeter blurted out. “I just recognized the animal, that’s all, I swear!” 

Macavity stepped back, frowning over this new information. “You think the crown prince might still be alive.” 

Demeter rubbed her neck. “I don’t know.” 

“So, then, it’s entirely possible that we’ve been chasing the wrong outlaw.” Macavity looked at the taller woman. “What do you think?” 

She shrugged casually. “It’s worth looking into. We haven’t been completely wasting our time — the Wolf is still a highwayman depleting the castle stores.” 

“That is true. I need to think on this more. Victoria, you’re dismissed. Keep on with the quest. Bring me the Wolf’s head.” 

“Wait,” Victoria said. “I want to see my brother! I need proof of life, I want to talk to him!” 

Macavity smiled horribly. “Well, don’t worry. Demeter can say hello to him for you. She’s going to be joining him very soon.” 

Both of the noblewomen paled. 

Demeter got down on her knees. When she spoke again, her voice was low and appealing. “Macavity, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have lied to you about not recognizing the tiger mask. But you don’t really want to send me away, my king. I am your _loyal_ subject.” 

Macavity sighed and put his head in his hands. “You’re a terrible liar.” 

The taller woman leapt into action. She grabbed Victoria’s arm and pushed her towards the door. 

“Let go of me! I need to see my brother!” 

“Trust me, you do not want to see what’s going to happen next,” the taller woman hissed. 

“Bombalurina, wait. Now I’m doubting your loyalties as well. Demeter, I will let you stay if you can pass one simple test.” The king was holding Demeter tightly by the arm. Victoria could see his fingers digging into her flesh. 

“Of course, my liege,” the woman holding Victoria said smoothly. 

“Tell me the crown prince’s name.” 

Demeter closed her eyes. 

Bombalurina said easily, “The crown prince’s name is Munkustrap. Is that all?” 

Macavity eyed her, but Bombalurina’s composure didn’t break. He nodded approvingly, then said, “Demeter? Can you pass my test?” 

She licked her lips nervously. 

The room waited. 

“The crown prince’s name is—” Her voice broke. Demeter cleared her throat and tried again. “The crown prince’s name is… I can’t. I’m sorry, Bomba.” 

Macavity exploded. He bellowed, “You told me that you didn’t love him anymore! You told me that I was your choice! Were you lying to me?!” 

Demeter met his eyes defiantly. “Long live the true king.” 

He snarled and threw her to the ground. Bombalurina shoved Victoria out of the room and slammed the door behind them. It wasn’t enough to stifle the sound of blows from the throne room and the high wailing of Demeter’s sobs. 

Bombalurina pressed her forehead against the door. 

“Are you truly loyal to Macavity?” Victoria asked, simply out of curiosity. 

“Are you still here?” Bombalurina’s voice was flat. “Go away, Victoria. I can’t talk to you right now.” 

Victoria lingered for a moment more, but the older woman didn’t turn around. With no other option, she went her way down the marble stairs, leaving Bombalurina crying soundlessly behind her. 

— 

“Will you tell me a story?” Victoria asked. 

Rumpleteazer poked her head down from the tree she was climbing and said, “What do you want to hear?” 

“Anything.” The confrontation in the throne room still occupied her thoughts. “Something with a happy ending, please.” 

Rumpleteazer thought for a minute. “Once upon a time… there was a beautiful young woman. She was so lovely that suitors came from all across the land just to get a glimpse of her. But her family was poor, so poor that they couldn’t even afford a dowry. And one day, the young woman got a vision from the gods!” 

“There are gods in this story now?” Victoria asked. 

Rumpleteazer wrapped her legs around a tree branch and hung from it upside-down, grinning at Victoria. “Yes, nature gods. Keep up.” 

“Alright, then.” Victoria gave Rumpleteazer’s shoulder a gentle push so that she swung back and forth in the air. “What vision did the gods send?” 

“The gods sent our lovely protagonist a message that all of her suitors were distracting everyone from time they should have spent properly worshipping the gods. But since the girl couldn’t get married without a dowry, the gods declared that she would have to marry… a beast!” 

Victoria gasped. 

Rumpleteazer clambered back up into the tree and continued with her story. “Her family pleaded and cried, but in that time, everyone knew that you couldn’t disobey a direct order from the gods. So they dressed her up as best as they could, in a long white veil and her nicest gown and sent her up to the top of a mountain, where the North Wind picked her up and whisked her away.

“The wind soon brought the girl to a beautiful palace on top of the mountain. It was made of white marble, and filled with fine silks and fruits and everything the girl could ever desire. But the wonder of the place was nothing compared to the fear the girl felt when she saw the beast she had been destined to marry! It was horrible and huge, with long fangs and a mane of knotted fur. It resembled a demon mixed with some savage animal like a bear, or maybe a lion.” 

“Or a wolf?” Victoria asked. 

Rumpleteazer smirked at her. “Or a wolf.” 

Above them, a squirrel chittered out a warning to its fellows in the trees that there was a human near their nests. Rumpleteazer looked as though she were a sprite or a dryad, or even part of the tree herself as she imitated the squirrel’s call back to it, something ablaze and otherworldly in her features. 

“Well anyway, the beast noticed the girl trembling with fear and to her surprise, it spoke.” Rumpleteazer cleared her throat and affected a growl in her voice. “‘I’m not going to eat you, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ the beast said. ‘You’re my wife now. This palace is yours to do as you wish. I want you to be happy here. But my one condition is that you must never look at me at night while I’m sleeping, or you will doom us both.’ 

“The girl agreed to the beast’s terms, and it left the girl alone for the rest of the day. She spent the time exploring the wondrous palace. When night came, she was undeniably nervous, but lay down in the huge bed anyway. The girl was almost asleep when she felt the bed dip as someone lay down next to her. Curious, the girl stretched out her hand to feel who she was laying with.” 

Rumpleteazer dropped down from the tree, took Victoria’s hand in her own, and brought it up to her face. Victoria giggled and closed the gap between her hand and Rumpleteazer’s skin, brushing the pads of her fingers over Rumpleteazer’s cheeks and lips and tracing the curve of her button nose. 

“Like this?” 

“Yes,” Rumpleteazer said quietly. “Like that. The girl could feel that the person next to her was a woman.” 

“A beautiful woman,” Victoria amended. 

Rumpleteazer blushed deeply. “A beautiful woman. Months passed in happiness, but the girl’s curiosity grew each day. She would spend her days with the beast and her nights with the lovely woman, but she longed to know the truth of her strange marriage. One night, the girl lit a candle and gazed upon the face of her lover for the first time. 

“She was shocked into breathlessness by what she found. The woman next to her wasn’t much older than our heroine herself was, but she was the most beautiful creature the girl had ever seen. Her lips were as full as cherries, and even her breathing as she slept sounded musical and divine. Her long hair was tousled onto the pillow like fields of wheat.” 

Victoria brought a hand up to her own light-colored hair and smiled. 

Rumpleteazer continued, “Well, the candlelight on her face woke the sleeping woman. She opened her eyes, and for a moment they stared at each other without moving. Then the woman spoke.

“‘You have doomed me, my love,’ said the woman. She went on to explain that she had been cursed by the gods for her vanity and doomed to live her days as a beast and her nights as a woman. If her wife could sleep beside her for one whole year without looking at her during the night, then the curse would be broken, but if not, then she would be doomed to become a beast forever and live in a cave.” 

Victoria frowned. “What?” 

“What? You don’t like the story?” 

“I do, I just think that doesn’t seem very fair to either one of them. The true villains in this story are the gods. Why can they just go around cursing people? Sorry to interrupt.” 

“No, you’re right,” Rumpleteazer said. “Not all of them are bad, but when you have that much power, no one can stop you if you start using it to curse people. Or, you know, do other bad things.” 

“I guess that’s true. So, what happened next?” 

They kept walking, and Rumpleteazer continued to tell Victoria how the cursed woman told her wife that the curse would have been broken in two more months, but now she was trapped in her beast’s body forever. Before she could finish speaking, she vanished in a ray of light as the curse whisked her away. 

The girl, left alone, begged the North Wind for help. The North Wind felt kindly towards the girl he had brought up to this castle at the god’s behest, so he finally responded to her pleas. He told her that her wife was now trapped on a wooded island in the middle of the ocean. Although the North Wind didn’t want to risk the wrath of the more powerful gods, he agreed to take her as far as the spot where the sun set. 

When they had reached the spot where the sun set, the North Wind set the girl down and gusted her hair one last time with ice before leaving. The girl was forced to seek out the West Wind’s fiery palace. She begged for help, and she was so beautiful that the Wind felt their heart touched. But they didn’t want to risk the wrath of the more powerful gods, so they agreed to take her as far as the sea. 

When they had reached the sea, the West Wind set the girl down and kissed her cheek with the scent of summer before leaving. The girl stared at the vast, dark sea before her and almost despaired. But as she crumpled to the ground, she felt the South Wind stir the hair at her neck. 

“I have been watching my brethren aid you in your quest.” The South Wind’s voice was as hot as the winds that rolled across the desert and stripped it bare. “Do not give up. Your wife waits in the middle of the sea.” 

“But I have no way to get to the middle of the sea! Will you lend some of your storms and breezes to carry me across?” 

“I cannot,” the South Wind responded. “The sea is the territory of the gods. But I will give you wings to fly across and claws to defend yourself against anything that may try to harm you.” 

The girl thanked her and soon felt herself transformed. She took flight across the sea. 

“She had many adventures and near misses on her journey,” Rumpleteazer continued. “She made friends with a sea serpent who let the girl rest on her back for a few hours. She almost got eaten by a deep ocean god who thought she was a strange flying fish. She saved a boat of fishermen from a shark and narrowly avoided being struck by lightning in a storm. She had all of these adventures and more, but alas, I do not have time to tell you them all. 

“When the girl finally reached the island, she collapsed on the sand and slept for three days straight. When she woke, she ate from a nearby fruit tree and drank from a nearby stream and then went in search of her wife. 

“She searched all around the island and finally found a dark cave deep, deep in the tangled forest. Inside slumbered a ferocious beast who resembled a demon mixed with some ferocious animal like a bear or a lion or a wolf. The girl entered the cave and gazed upon the face of her lover. The force of her gaze woke up the great beast, and for a second they only stared at each other. 

“‘My love,’ said the girl. ‘I have traveled far to find you. Please let me stay.’ 

“The beast enveloped her in a hug. 

“The girl found her new life on the island enjoyable. Her wings were useful for gathering nuts and eggs from the highest treetops while her wife went hunting or kept larger animals away from them with her long fangs. At the end of the day, the girl would use her claws to pick burrs and tangles from her wife’s fur while the other woman sang in her rumbling beast’s voice. And so they lived out their days in happiness and love. The end.” 

— 

Victoria’s dreams for a solid week were full of people changing into animals and animals gruesomely transforming into humans. In her dreams, her brother was there, and he called her name, but before Victoria could reach him his body was captured in a steel trap and long metal claws pierced his side. She saw Rumpleteazer’s face, held close to her own, but Rumpleteazer’s teeth were growing into fangs. Victoria fled haphazardly through a familiar forest over and over until an arrow pierced her side. She turned to see the two women from Macavity’s palace holding crossbows and dressed for the hunt, and then she always startled herself awake. 

The dreams were most likely a side effect of Rumpleteazer’s story and the hunt for the Wolf, but Victoria noticed some paranoia slipping into her waking life, too. Now that she was paying more attention to them, animal motifs seemed to be everywhere she looked. The cheerful delivery boy Tumblebrutus, who always had a smile for Mistoffelees, had a small tattoo of a bee inked on the inside of his arm. The wood-working shop across the way had a plump hen carved on its sign. (The matronly woman who managed the shop’s sales had actually noticed Victoria staring and invited her in for tea, but Victoria had hastily gone on her way with a promise to stop in some other time.) 

The Wolf. The crown prince. The man in the tiger mask. Rumpleteazer’s story. 

It was all connected, somehow. It had to be. Victoria _knew_ that there was a link between all of these things, but couldn’t figure out what it was yet. What she did know, with absolute certainty, was that she needed to complete her quest before her nerves became any more strained or she went mad. She had to bring Macavity the head of the Wolf, and she needed to do it soon. 

—

Surprisingly, her next lead came from Grizabella. The old woman knocked on her door one day when she was in the city on one of her infrequent trips for supplies. 

Victoria greeted Grizabella with a big hug and ushered her into the apartment. “This is a pleasant surprise. Did you run out of tea or something?” 

“Or something,” Grizabella agreed. She sat down heavily at the table, looking around. “This is a gloomy little place.” 

Victoria blushed and hurried to clear some clothes out of the way. The longer Mistoffelees stayed in jail, the more it looked like he would never get out. Although it seemed like a betrayal, she had begun to organize and pack away some of his clothes to keep them safe until he returned. 

“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” 

Grizabella waved her off. “No, I’m fine. Victoria, I came to see you today because I have news about the Wolf. It’s possible… it’s possible he isn’t the outlaw Macavity would have you believe he is.” 

“Did something happen to make you think that?” Victoria frowned. 

“Yes. I don’t know the Wolf’s true motivations. I’m an old woman living by herself in the middle of the woods, but I think he might have saved my life.” 

Victoria sat down across from her. “I’m listening.” 

“Sometimes bandits come across me -- a single cottage alone in the forest -- and they think I’m an easy target. To be fair, they aren’t entirely wrong. Usually I just shout a few made-up curses or do a trick with the explosives I have on hand, and that scares them off. No one wants to mess with a witch. But this time, for whatever reason, they weren’t scared away.”

The bandits were probably hungry, Victoria thought. Macavity was raising taxes against the small farming villages on the outskirts of the kingdom. But Grizabella had some kind of connection to the Usurper King (Victoria wasn’t quite sure what, as Grizabella had spoken of him with disdain before, but she was still playing the role of grandmother at Macavity’s command), so Victoria kept her thoughts unspoken. 

“I did the best I could -- you know that I have some traps set up around my house.” Grizabella continued. “But there were too many of them for me to fight off.” 

“Were they wearing animal masks?” Victoria interrupted. 

“Animal masks? No, they weren’t covering their faces.” 

Then it couldn’t have been the man with the tiger mask. Victoria didn’t know whether she was disappointed that they couldn’t confirm his identity or relieved that the crown prince hadn’t resorted to attacking his subjects, assuming that was truly the man behind the feline mask. 

“The Wolf was wearing his mask, though, when I saw him,” Grizabella said. “Just when I thought the bandits would break down the door, he showed up and fought them off.” 

Victoria gaped. “All of them? How many were there?” 

“Five.” 

“Five?” 

“Are you going to listen, or are you just going to repeat everything I say?” 

“I’m listening, I’m listening.” Victoria stood up and began to pace. “What else happened?” 

“Nothing, really. He didn’t stick around to chat, just took care of the bandits and left again. I could have sworn that I saw him lurking around in the trees near me for the rest of the day, although I didn’t go out looking for him. That’s your job, not mine.” 

“That’s so _strange._ And you don’t have any history with him?” 

“Never seen him before in my life.” 

“So, you really think that he just saved you without any ulterior motives?” 

Grizabella shrugged. “Maybe. It could be that he was casing the joint for himself and I’ll go home to find my house ransacked, but that doesn’t seem likely, or he would have finished the job himself right then.”

“What do you think I should do?” 

“I can’t tell you that, child. You need to decide for yourself.” 

“I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.” Victoria sighed. “Thanks, Grizabella. It’s always helpful to hear what you know.”

“Flatterer.” Grizabella stood up laboriously from her chair. “If I remember anything else, I’ll tell you. Right now, I need to get to the market before it closes.” 

“Of course.” Victoria opened the door for the old woman. “I’ll think on this more before I see you again.” 

As she made her way down the stairs, Grizabella waved a hand about her head in acknowledgement of what Victoria had said -- a very clear message of _Do that, but don’t bother me about it._

—

“You’re quiet today,” Rumpleteazer remarked as they made their way to Grizabella’s cabin the next week. “Is something wrong?” 

“No, of course not.” Truthfully, the looming trees had reminded Victoria with a surge of guilt about her mission. After many sleepless nights, she had decided to continue with her plan to capture the Wolf unless new information came out. She couldn’t condemn Mistoffelees to a life in prison on the off chance that the Wolf had saved Grizabella out of the goodness of his heart. 

Rumpleteazer shrugged. “If you say so. Did I tell you that I found a blackberry bush the other day?” 

“No, you didn’t. Where is it?” 

Rumpleteazer pointed back at the stream they had crossed a few minutes ago. “Not too far. If you follow the stream for a few minutes until it bends, there’s a bramble patch and the bush.” 

“Let’s go!” 

“Really? You wouldn’t mind that it would take us out of the way a little bit?” 

“Of course not!” Victoria smiled. “I love fresh berries. We couldn’t afford them all the time growing up, so they were a delicacy when we could get them.”

“It sounds like you and I had similar childhoods.” Rumpleteazer began to walk in the opposite direction to lead them to the berries. “Except my brother and I were good at acquiring, uh, alternate revenue sources.” 

Victoria grinned. She had seen the gaggle of kids who pickpocketed tourists and almost joined them a few times, but Mistoffelees would always catch her before she could learn how they did it and would drag her back to the tiny apartment they had shared with their parents. “Seems like you turned out alright, though.” 

Rumpleteazer let out a short cackle, like she had an inside joke with herself. “I guess so. Our aunt refused to give up on us. She said if we weren’t going to put our talents to good use, she would do it herself and put our nimble fingers to work in her shop.” 

“That was nice of her. I wish we had someone looking out for us like that.” 

“You don’t have any relatives?” Rumpleteazer asked, glancing at Victoria out of the corner of her eye. 

They had reached the stream and began to follow its curve to lead them to the blackberry bush. 

“Mom wasn’t from here. She always said that her family was wealthy, but she ran away from them with a sock full of jewelry when she married Dad. They had already removed her from the inheritance by then.” 

“Jerks.” 

“Yeah. And now we’re on our own.” 

“What happened?” Rumpleteazer added hastily, “If it’s too painful, you don’t have to talk about it.” 

“Oh, the classic orphan story. Mom got pregnant, but there was a complication with the birth and neither she or the baby made it. My brother and I were nine and eleven at the time, I think. Over the next few years, Dad started working longer hours at the docks until there was an accident.” 

“I’m so sorry, Victoria. That’s awful.” 

“It was a long time ago.” What Victoria didn’t say was that the hour after their mother died, Mistoffelees lost control of his magic to an extent she had never seen before and enveloped their apartment in oozing darkness until Victoria’s fearful sobs cut through the magic. The sound enabled him to rein his magic back in, but the effort to do so made him faint. While he was passed out, Victoria heard the midwife warning their father about the dangers that could come with raising a magical child. Dad had responded that he had been dealing with this for the past eleven years, and that he wasn’t scared, but after that time his grief had made him distant. 

He began picking up extra shifts to provide for them, but a rift was growing between him and Mistoffelees, exacerbated by the fact that both of them were too stubborn to talk about their feelings. After the accident, Mistoffelees didn’t speak for a month. His unfounded guilt resonated against the edges of Victoria’s mind and gave her headaches until she told him that it hadn’t been him or his magic that had scared Dad away. After that her headaches lessened, but perhaps her brother simply got better at hiding his feelings from her rather than dealing with them as she had urged. She didn’t know. 

Rumpleteazer slipped her hand into Victoria’s. They walked in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the running water beside them. 

When they found the blackberry bush, Victoria spread her cloak out on the ground and they sat on it. 

“I like this color,” Rumpleteazer said. “It’s unusual.” 

“My brother made it for me. He was trying to dye the fabric pink, but he went too far and it turned red. I still like it, though.” 

“The red suits you.” Rumpleteazer tossed a blackberry into her mouth, closing her eyes with pleasure as she tasted it. 

Victoria copied her, enjoying the taste of the fruit warmed by the sun. 

Rumpleteazer reached deeper into the bush and hissed as a thorn pricked her finger. 

“Oh, careful!” 

“I’m okay.” Rumpleteazer carefully removed the pricker from her finger and sucked on the cut. 

“I’ll pick some for you,” Victoria said, and reached for the bush. Rumpleteazer caught her hand. 

“Would you… I mean…” She blushed and looked away. “I would rather myself get hurt by a thorn than you go through the same thing. I’m not saying it well, but I want to protect you and look out for you, Victoria.” 

“Oh.” Victoria blinked. “I kind of thought you were only flirting with me because you treated everyone that way. I didn’t know it was real.” 

“No, yeah.” Rumpleteazer ran a hand through her hair, embarrassed. “It was real. I care about you.” 

Victoria smiled and said, “I’m going to pick a blackberry now. You don’t need to protect me from that. I’ll be careful.” 

When she had picked a few berries and placed them into her basket for later, she began to feed them to Rumpleteazer by hand. Her daring made her pulse jump, but Rumpleteazer didn’t seem to mind. She reached out and cupped Victoria’s face in her hand, then moved forward to press their lips together gently. 

Victoria squeaked. Her attempt to simultaneously pull Rumpleteazer closer and sit on top of her lap ended with both of them bowled over onto the grass. 

Rumpleteazer gazed up at her and began to laugh merrily. 

“Oops? Let me try again,” Victoria said, and leaned down to kiss Rumpleteazer once more. 

When their bellies were full and their lips had grown sore from kissing, the girls knelt by the stream. Victoria watched the purple stains wash from her fingers and flicked a few drops of water at Rumpleteazer.

But her friend stiffened suddenly. Victoria followed her gaze to the opposite bank and gasped.

The Wolf standing between the trees and staring at them. He put his hands on his hips in a judgemental fashion. 

Victoria grabbed a knife and leapt to her feet. She dashed into the water towards the outlaw, but felt someone grab her around the waist. 

“Whoa, whoa!” Rumpleteazer said. “Easy there, snowflake.” 

“You don’t understand -- let me go!” Victoria twisted her body, trying to get free, but Rumpleteazer held her fast. 

The Wolf turned and disappeared into the woods. Victoria could only watch, unable to reach him. 

“You’re safe, okay?” Rumpleteazer said into her ear. “See, he’s gone. He’s not going to harm you.” 

Victoria almost laughed and broke free from Rumpleteazer’s grasp. She demanded, “Why did you stop me?” 

“What are you talking about? I had to. Although I do appreciate how willing you were to defend yourself.” 

Victoria glanced down and put her dagger away. “Sorry. He just scared me, I guess. I thought he was going to come over here.” 

“You don’t need to apologize.” Rumpleteazer picked up the basket that Victoria had knocked over in her haste and glanced inside. “You’ve got a lot of weapons in here. Is this a bone cutter?” 

“My, uh, my grandmother found a pair of deer antlers that she wants to make art from,” Victoria said, thinking quickly. “She asked me to bring them for her.” 

“I think I love your grandmother. And the set of hand spikes?” 

“Um. Extra security?” 

“That’s very smart.” Rumpleteazer handed the basket back to Victoria. “I’m impressed. Ready to keep walking? I think he’s gone.” 

“Yes.” Victoria fastened her cloak around her shoulders again and looped her other arm through Rumpleteazer’s. The other girl smiled at her brightly, looking surprised. 

Victoria couldn’t wait to tell Grizabella about all of this. 

—

Victoria felt that she was making progress. She wasn’t sure _why_ she had seen the Wolf that day, but it was a promising sign. Maybe he was stalking her, or maybe he had just stumbled upon them. Regardless of what the outlaw was doing, Victoria would be happy as long as he kept doing it long enough for her to get close to him and kill him. 

Admittedly, she had never killed someone before, and her stomach always turned at the thought. But she would do anything if it got Mistoffelees released and back to her safely. 

Her desperation was something that she knew Macavity was all too aware of, and she didn’t like the fact that he could manipulate her so easily. She had reported her sighting of the Wolf to him in optimistic terms, but he had responded with a shrug and said that they might need to “resort to more drastic measures,” whatever that meant. 

Victoria had also seen Bombalurina on her most recent trip to the palace. The other woman was sparring in the courtyard with a few soldiers, and Victoria paused just to admire the fluidity of her movements. When they were done, Victoria had called her name, but Bombalurina had pretended she couldn’t hear her and hastily began a conversation with the woman next to her. 

The whole thing made Victoria uneasy. She would be glad when her job was done and she didn’t have to go to the palace anymore, although it was true that she had grown fond of her routine over the past few months. She and Grizabella had grown closer during their visits, and she enjoyed hearing the stories the old woman told her. Being in the forest was peaceful and soothed Victoria’s worries about her brother, especially now that she knew her way around. 

And, of course, the part of her life that she most looked forward to nowadays was her growing romance with Rumpleteazer. The latter girl would usually walk at least one way through the forest with Victoria, who had begun to bake new things that she thought Rumpleteazer would like. They would split them on the walk. On the days where Rumpleteazer couldn’t join Victoria because of time conflicts with her job, she would write her a note and tack it onto a tree somewhere she knew Victoria would see it. 

Twice, Rumpleteazer had met up with Victoria in the city as well. She came on the day of the Flower Festival, where Victoria bought a chain of white daisies and wove them into Rumpleteazer’s copper hair and Rumpleteazer smelled different bouquets of flowers until she sneezed. She came in on a normal market day as well, just to see Victoria. They spent their time exploring the sunny, winding streets until they came upon a courtyard filled with artisan’s stalls. The plump, middle-aged woman whose shop was across the street from Victoria’s apartment had a stall displaying beautifully-carved, soft wooden jewelry. After Victoria had lingered there for a few minutes, the shop owner pressed a bracelet into Rumpleteazer’s hand and winked. 

“My aunt,” Teazer explained. She slipped the bracelet onto Victoria’s wrist and pressed a quick kiss to her palm. 

As they walked back from the market, Victoria made eye contact with an old woman with a begging cup. Rumpleteazer’s aunt had refused to accept any money for the bracelet, so Victoria had a few coins remaining, which she dropped into the old woman’s cup. 

Rumpleteazer made a disgruntled sound as they walked away, glancing back at the beggar woman. 

“What is it?” 

“So many people have lost their homes and jobs, and the Usurper King raises taxes still. He won’t stop until he sucks the whole country dry.” 

Victoria glanced around. “Hush, be careful.” 

Rumpleteazer frowned at her, looking hurt. 

“Look, I don’t disagree,” Victoria said, lowering her voice. “But you shouldn’t speak that way out on the streets. It’s dangerous.” 

“You’re right,” Rumpleteazer sighed. She withdrew her hand from Victoria’s all the same. 

“Are you upset with me?” 

“No, of course not. I should go -- early day tomorrow. I’ll see you in a few days when you come to visit your grandmother, right?” 

“Yes, I’ll be there.” Victoria leaned in, but Rumpleteazer turned her head and Victoria’s lips landed on her cheek. She watched Teazer walk away, feeling like she had said something wrong and not knowing what. 

As she reached the outskirts of the city, Victoria was surprised to see a wagon waiting at the spot where she usually entered the woods. A few soldiers wearing palace livery were standing around the wagon, chatting. They looked up when they saw Victoria. 

One of them asked, “You’re the hunter?” 

“Yes. Did the king send you?” 

“Yeah. He’s annoyed that the hunt is taking this long. Wants us to speed up the process.” 

Victoria frowned. This was _her_ mission, not anyone else’s. “Speed it up how?” 

“He said to put you in the back of the wagon and drive through the woods making enough of a fuss that it catches the Wolf’s attention,” The leader of the group said. He looked bored. “Apparently the Wolf has a heroic streak. He likes to come to the aid of a damsel in distress.” 

“Don’t we all?” Another soldier joked. 

“Well, I don’t need any help, thank you. You can go now,” Victoria said. 

Someone grabbed her arms from behind. She twisted and kicked but couldn’t loosen their grip. 

“Sorry, little missy,” the soldier who had spoken first said. “It doesn’t work like that. We only follow orders from the king. Throw her in the back, James.” 

Victoria felt the man holding her lift her up with ease and place her in the back of the wagon. She scratched at his arms violently with her nails. 

“Hey!” James rumbled. “Peter, she scratched me!” 

Peter said, “Scratch her back, I don’t care.” 

Another man leapt into the back of the wagon with them and held down Victoria’s legs. She felt the wagon begin to move into the woods. 

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Peter called from the driver’s seat. His voice pierced easily through the thin canvas covering. “The Wolf shouldn’t be far away, since he seems to be obsessed with you. You’re going to yell and just generally be loud enough for him to hear. Macavity’s orders, got it?” 

“I won’t,” Victoria spat. “That son of a bitch can choke.” 

Her head snapped back with the force of James’ slap. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the ringing in her ears. 

“You’re making this harder on yourself than it needs to be!” Peter called back. “The king told us we shouldn’t hesitate to rough you up if we had to.”

“False king!” Victoria yelled. Her stomach jolted as she was reminded horribly of the woman in the throne room’s final stand. She had never found out what happened to her. But Demeter had been brave then, far braver than Victoria had been for these last weeks. “He’s nothing more than a bully with magic!” 

This time she was expecting the slap that came, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Victoria couldn’t stop a yelp from escaping her lips, although she knew that would only encourage the soldiers. 

The wagon shuddered to a halt. Victoria heard Peter say, “What the hell?” 

A suspicious silence followed. 

“Not it,” the soldier holding onto Victoria said. 

“Fine, I’ll go.” James hopped out of the wagon and onto the ground. She saw his shadow through the awning of the wagon pull out his sword and fight with someone that she couldn’t see. Behind him, while his attention was occupied by the person he was sparring with, something flew through the air and landed in the back of James’ neck. He choked and fell to the ground. 

The only remaining soldier drew his sword and let go of Victoria. He stepped cautiously forward, out of the cover of the wagon and peered into the trees. She shifted around to watch.

A blur set upon the soldier, a person moving so quickly that they looked more like a whirling devil than a human. Victoria caught a glimpse of a wooden mask and her pulse racketed up. 

The soldier fought as best he could, but he was a poor match for the outlaw fighting with two blades against his one and wielding them so efficiently that they might have been natural extensions of their arms. Soon enough, the fight finished in the outlaw’s favor. He hastily tucked his weapons away, not bothering to clean them, and approached the wagon.

Victoria was face to face with the Wolf. Shaking, she reached for her weapon. 

The Wolf was running his hands up and down her arms, and Victoria realized that he was checking her for injuries. That didn’t fit with the image that Macavity had given her of a dangerous outlaw. And even stranger was the fact that Victoria didn’t feel threatened by the Wolf’s touch. 

The person in the animal mask spoke. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” 

The Wolf’s voice was pitched low and rough as though it were strained. Victoria frowned. She had heard the Wolf speak on the trolley, and he hadn’t sounded that way then. 

She _knew_ this voice, she knew those hands. 

“Victoria?” The Wolf asked. “Hey, answer me. You’re safe, okay?” 

The Wolf knew her name. 

“No,” Victoria said. She shook her head, hardly daring to put words to the frantic churnings of her brain. “It’s not true.” 

The Wolf reached out for her again, but Victoria knocked their hand away and jumped forward, launching them both out of the back of the wagon. They hit the dirt with force and tumbled over one another until Victoria trapped the Wolf underneath her. 

The outlaw didn’t put up a fight as Victoria unsheathed the dagger from her belt and held it up to their neck, being careful not to break the skin. She used her free hand to slowly slide the wooden mask up and off of their head. 

Red hair, cut short. Freckles. A button nose.

“Hi, honey,” Rumpleteazer said sheepishly. “Didya miss me?” 

“You’re the Wolf.” Victoria lamented, “No, why?” 

A new voice said, “Well, you could say that our penchants for the criminal life started at a very young age.” 

Victoria glanced up and found someone else standing beside them, also wearing a wolf mask. It was identical to the one she held in her hand. 

“Shut up, you idiot,” Rumpleteazer said. “She doesn’t need our life story.”

“Two Wolves,” Victoria said. She felt a little faint. “You said you had a brother.” 

“Victoria, I can explain.” Rumpleteazer looked worried. “Would you mind letting me up and putting that knife away?” 

The mention of the knife made Victoria remember her mission. “I’m sorry, Teazer. I really like you, but I can’t do that.” 

Rumpleteazer’s eyes grew wide. “ _You’re_ the hunter?” 

“Yes! Wait, how did you know about that?” 

“We have spies, duh. I can’t believe you’ve been lying to me this whole time!” 

“ _I’ve_ been lying? You’re the Wolf!” 

Rumpleteazer’s brother cleared his throat. “Uh, ladies? I really hate to interrupt what sounds like an important conversation, but I want to get out of here before someone else finds us. Also, not to name any names, but maybe we shouldn’t gesture angrily if we have a knife in our hands? And maybe we shouldn’t antagonize the person holding a knife to our throat? Just a thought.” 

Rumpleteazer sighed. “No, you’re right. Victoria, are you going to cut my head off or not? If you’re going to, just do it quickly.” 

“No.” Victoria sat back and sheathed her dagger. “I wouldn’t. I can’t.” 

“Okay, then.” Rumpleteazer sat up.

They surveyed each other. 

“I didn’t want to do it,” Victoria said quietly. “Macavity said it was my only choice if I wanted him to release my brother.” 

“Your brother?” The other Wolf asked. 

“He’s in jail. I mean, I think he’s in jail.” Victoria felt tears rise to her eyes and blinked them away. “I haven’t, um, been able to see him and the Usurper King won’t tell me anything else. This is the only way.” 

The outlaws in front of her exchanged looks. 

Rumpleteazer’s brother squatted to be closer to Victoria’s eye level. “What if we told you there was another way?” 

“You called him the Usurper King,” Rumpleteazer said quietly. “You know, we started that name.” 

“You did?” 

“Yes. Well, not us specifically. Some of our friends did.” 

Victoria looked between them and remembered the man in the tiger mask. “You’re working for the crown prince.” 

“You were right, Tea, she _is_ smart.” The brother sounded impressed. 

“I told you she was. And we don’t work for anyone, my little blackberry. We’re working _with_ the crown prince,” Rumpleteazer said. She held out her hand to Victoria. “You could join us.” 

Victoria looked between them, the unmasked woman and the man with the face of a wooden beast. They had saved her. The man had been kind to her. Rumpleteazer had trusted her and kissed her. 

She wrapped her fingers around the outstretched hand and let Rumpleteazer pull her to her feet. The brother reached down and picked up his sister’s mask, placing it on her gently before taking his spot behind Victoria. 

They walked into the woods. 


End file.
